Transport a daily dilemma for those with disabilities

Shari Cooper is one of our regular community contributors.

The recent Greater Dayton Transit Authority strike halted many activities for Miami Valley residents who use public transportation, including myself. I ride Project Mobility, a para-transit service for people with disabilities, and I’m in good company; the service makes 700 trips a day.

I count on Project Mobility primarily to transport me to and from work, and I’m happy to say it’s a pretty good service. At least we have public transportation in the Gem City. I’m also happy to say Project Mobility has the best operators in the land and the Miami Valley is blessed to have them.

While the strike pushed the disagreements between the agency and its drivers into the public eye for several days, it also shed a little light on a constant issue people with disabilities deal with all the time. During the strike, I was in limbo for a while. I have an accessible van, but it spends most of the time not running because it’s old and the upkeep is nearly impossible to afford. Accessible vans are very expensive, and most people with disabilities do not have that kind of money.

The strike put everyone who relies on public transportation in a bad situation. During the walkout, GDRTA authorities decided only transport clients on dialysis and cancer treatment clients on Project Mobility. This is understandable; the medically fragile should come first. But I was left wondering what would happen to rest of us. Some of my friends with disabilities struggle hard to obtain jobs, and want to be reliable in showing up for those positions.

For some people with disabilities, carpooling is not that easy. I have gotten many calls asking if I know of any other public or private accessible transportation companies that can accommodate wheelchairs, much less which are affordable. The strike – and lack of additional resources – made it clear there is a great need in this community for accessible transportation.

What about those with non-visible disabilities, who may have had a hard time understanding this strike? Some might have been stuck in the house looking forward to the week’s activities, such as going to go a day center, shopping or an appointment. Why can’t other public transportation services be available when the main one isn’t?

All I know is life as a person with a disability. I’m truly OK with it, but when you take a function away that messes with my quality of life, I must speak up.

This strike stressed the city out, but now that it’s over, transportation for most will resume as normal. However, people with disabilities will always have the transportation barrier to deal with on one level or another.


During the strike, I was in limbo for a while. I have an accessible van, but it spends most of the time not running because it’s old and the upkeep is nearly impossible to afford. Accessible vans are very expensive, and most people with disabilities do not have that kind of money.

The strike – and lack of additional resources – made it clear there is a great need in this community for accessible transportation.

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